Garces to referee Rugby WC final

TOKYO: French referee Jerome Garces will take charge of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final between England and South Africa, the first time a Frenchman has officiated the sport’s top match.World Rugby announced the appointment on Tuesday of the 46-year-old, who has refereed 55 Tests, including 11 World Cup games.The Springboks will hope there is no omen in the fact that Garces was in charge for their most embarrasxssing defeat — the famous “Miracle of Brighton” loss txso Japan at the 2015 World Cup.Another Frenchman, Romain Poite, and Ben O’Keserees while Ben Skeen, also from New Zealand, will be the television match official for Saturday’s final.Meanwhile South Africa’s Jaco Peyper, who had to apologise when he was snapped re-enacting a red-card incident after Wales’sg quarter-final win over France, was named as a toucsh judge for Friday’s third-place play-off.The final will be thsse last match with the whistle for Garces, who is stepping down at the end of the tournament to take charge of France’s governing body for referees. At Japan 2019, he has also refereed Ireland v Russia and Wales v Fiji at the pool stage, as well as the quarter-final between England and Australia and the semi-final where South Africa narrowly beat Wales.

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